


Ridiculous Pressure

by polgara



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 03:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15654987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polgara/pseuds/polgara
Summary: Buffy lived in terror since she turned fourteen. The pressure of knowing something that came out of her mouth was permanently tattooed on someone was nearly more than she could bear.





	Ridiculous Pressure

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, settings, or fandoms. They are the property of their respective creators and companies. 
> 
> A/N: Trying a little bit of the AU August. Going with the Soulmate AU where the first words your soulmate says to you appear as a tattoo when you turn fourteen.

From the moment her words appeared on her wrist when she turned fourteen, Buffy freaked out. She stared at the sentence now permanently etched on her skin with a sense of growing panic. From now until forever, the first words out of her mouth when she met someone new could possible be tattooed on their body. Forever. There to always remind her of whatever dumb thing she said. And for them to wonder what the hell was wrong with her until them finally met. 

The pressure was ridiculous. 

For months she refused to be the first to speak when she met someone new as an added precaution. It was the only way she could ensure that she wasn't burdening her soulmate with the worst statement ever. Not that the words on her wrist were about anything that would be brought up in normal conversations or introductions, but she couldn't take that chance. Refused to. 

Then she was Called and the worry didn't necessary go away, it just shifted to other concerns. Her life was going to be cut short so the chances of meeting him went to slim to remote. 

She died. Twice. 

The defeated the First. 

And all thoughts of soulmates and inane words written upon hers and his body drifted away. Fate, she knew, was a bitch. It would happen or it wouldn't. Her witty repartee was top notch. The words she'd say when she met him were going to be awesome. 

She was thirty-three, still out there slaying despite the thousand of slayers that currently existed. The world was getting smaller. Superheroes and aliens existed and the public could no longer bury their heads in the proverbial sand. 

It was a routine full moon night in a plain cemetery in the middle of no where. The vamp wasn't even worth mentioning, he dusted so easily. That's when she heard it from over her right shoulder. 

“Well, I never saw that in the war.” 

Buffy whirled around in surprise. “Seriously, that's what that was about?” 

She froze and all of the blood drained from her face. Good lord, the poor thing had been staring at that on his wrist since he was fourteen? She sincerely hoped the Fates knew what they were doing when they paired the two of them together. 

His eyes widened in shock before a huge smile broke out on his face. He stepped out from under the tree he was under and into the limited light the moon provided. “I thought I'd never meet you. I'm Steve Rogers.” 

“I'm so sorry,” she blurted out. 

“For what?” He asked, his hands moving to rest on his hips, making his shoulders look impossibly wide. 

“For the words,” she said, feeling her face burn from embarrassment. “I always hoped that whatever I said wasn't completely ridiculous and well...” she trailed off. 

His chin dropped as he gave her a shy smile. “I never thought about the words themselves, I was just thankful to have any at all.” His hands slid from his hips into the pockets of his khaki pants. “I had been so sick as a kids that I wasn't even sure there was someone out there for me until they appeared.” 

Buffy's jaw dropped as recognition finally kicked in. She knew where she had seen his face before. “Oh my god, you're Captain America! Now the war line makes total sense.” 

Steve winced. “Sorry about that.” 

“No! I just could never figure out what I was doing to cause you to say that. I'm Buffy Summers, and we're gonna have a long talk about vampires.”


End file.
